Kai Wagner (born 15 February 1997) is a German professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer.

Club career

SSV Ulm 1846

Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Wagner signed his first professional contract at 18 years old with

SSV Ulm 1846 SSV Ulm 1846 is a German football club from Ulm, Baden-Württemberg. The modern-day football department, officially playing as SSV Ulm 1846 Fussball, was formed on 9 March 2009 when the department separated from SSV Ulm 1846. The club's great ...

competing in the

Oberliga Baden-Württemberg The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest association football league in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German foot ...

, the fifth tier of German football. Wagner made 32 appearances and scored one goal, helping earn SSV Ulm the championship title and promotion to the fourth tier Regionalliga.

Schalke 04

In summer of 2016, Wagner secured a transfer to

FC Schalke 04 II FC Schalke 04 II are the reserve team of German association football club FC Schalke 04. Until 2005 the team played as FC Schalke 04 Amateure. The team has qualified for the first round of the DFB-Pokal, the German Cup, on two occasions. They cu ...

competing in the

Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is a German semi-professional football division administered by the Western German Football Association based in Duisburg. It is one of the five German regional football associations. Being the single flight of the Western ...

, the fourth tier of German football.

Würzburger Kickers

In June 2017, Wagner secured a transfer to

Würzburger Kickers Würzburger Kickers is a German association football club playing in Würzburg, Bavaria. In pre-World War II football, the club competed briefly at the highest level in the Bezirksliga Bayern, and during the war, in the Gauliga Bayern. Post-war, ...

competing in the

3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...

, the third tier of German football after being relegated at the conclusion of the 2016–17 season.

Philadelphia Union

In February 2019, Wagner signed with Major League Soccer club Philadelphia Union for an undisclosed transfer fee. Wagner would emerge as one of the best left backs in MLS, contributing 30 appearances and 8 assists in his first season with the Union. The 2020 season improved on the 2019 season, despite the disruptions of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, Kai contributed to the Union's advancing to the semi-finals of the

MLS is Back Tournament The MLS is Back Tournament took place during the 2020 Major League Soccer season to mark the league's return to action after being suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 26 Major League Soccer teams, 24 participated in the tourna ...

including his first goal for the Union in a 2–1 win over

Inter Miami CF Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, known as Inter Miami CF or simply Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. Established in 2018, the club began play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the 2 ...

. The Union finished the season with the best league record earning the team's first trophy, the 2020 Supporters' Shield. Wagner contributed 14 starts, one goal, and two assists in the Union's championship season. In January 2021, Wagner signed a new contract with the Union through the 2022 season, with an option for 2023. In August 2021, Wagner was selected to the

2021 MLS All-Star Game The 2021 Major League Soccer All-Star Game was the 25th edition of the annual Major League Soccer All-Star Game, an exhibition soccer match in the United States. The game, featuring the MLS All-Stars taking on the Liga MX All-Stars, was played ...

versus the Liga MX All-Star team.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

SSV Ulm 1846 *

: 2015–16 Philadelphia Union * Supporters' Shield:

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conferen ...

runner-up:

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

Individual *

MLS All-Star The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual Association football, soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from Liga MX. MLS initially adopted a tr ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. Winners *Players in bold were awarded the Landon Donovan MVP Award for that season. Most appearances by a player The following players have appeared ...

References

External links

* 1997 births Living people People from Göppingen (district) Footballers from Stuttgart (region) German men's footballers Men's association football defenders SSV Ulm 1846 players FC Schalke 04 II players Würzburger Kickers players Philadelphia Union players Regionalliga players 3. Liga players Major League Soccer players {{Germany-footy-defender-1990s-stub